Pathfinder 1E [IC] - TIDERULER OF MARAN

[Jago]

~ Reynard used the tip of his boot to push out a chair towards Marius at his request to join them, wordlessly giving his acceptance of such a plan. He seemed an odd one ... but one he wanted to keep close, at the least. The oddity was highlighted even further when it took him two ticks to give his name as he stared into the depths of space, although Reynard was in no hurry either.

" Reynard," he introduced himself simply, raising his drink to Marius, " And no need to spend your hard coin, friend. The kindly Durkas is providing the food and drink for tonight."

" And I believe said kindly Durkas," he continued after another drink of his tankard, " Was just about to tell me why he was so interested in drinking with a Shian, neh?"

There was no intimidation, no push or press for information; just a desire for conversation explaining where the evening was going to take them. For his part, Reynard was comfortable for someone else to take the helm while he merely gauged the currents.

 

[Neurotic]

Perception: 1d20+10 20
Sense Motive - Elves: 1d20+10 30
Sense Motive - Dwarves: 1d20+10 30
Sense Motive - Durkas: 1d20+10 13[/I][/COLOR]

OOC: If you'll roll like this all the time, I give you full control of Marius dice - Of course, this probably means I'll roll 1s in combat

Marius remains still. He observes the dwarves, waiting for clarification of new ones intentions, but never stops paying attention to the room in general and the lady on the stairs and elves in particular. He isn't really concerned about dwarves stealing as long as they don't try it on him. He doesn't like it, but, not knowing local laws and customs, being in a rowdy tavern and a stranger to boot, he doesn't feel safe enough to draw the attention to himself. He does however note if any of those thieves comes too close to him.
OOC: he will ready an action in that case to catch the thief in the act as he grabs whatever tries to steal.

OOC: So, summary (correct me if I got something wrong): - this is dwarven tavern with dwarves as owners and staff - it is catering to all races equally - there are elves scouting in and around the city, but their lands are far away, they may be adventurers trying to get rich quickly - dwarves are miners, down on their luck due to unusual activity of monsters - lady doesn't fit - staff is either charmed / constructs / undead / otherwise conditioned or just a mask for something more sinister - Durkas sees an opportunity to either cheat gullible newcomers, to attach himself to gullible newcomers and profit from them or has a job (again profit for him) for us

 

[Archon Basileus]

@Neurotic @KahlessNestor @Trogdor1992 @Jago

REYNARD

“Well, since ya put it so lightly...” – Durkas smiles a half-toothless smile and continues, satisfied by the combination of food and drink laid before him. “I’m a merchant…. And you are one of the most exotic and traveled types in here, believe me…. Since my trade survives on intel, I might as well try and hear the news from abroad from you, my friend. Trust me, every piece a’ bread and every drop a’ mead we share here is gonna double its valor depending on the things you can tell me…” – he bends a bit over the table in a sign of complicity. “So tell me, Reynard” – the name rolls through the accidents of Durkas’ strong maranan accent – “you seem to have been around…. Maybe even on a boat or two, am I right? Maybe you got to see some of the blockade, maybe you got to see someone getting across, maybe someone tending to Old King’s galleons needs?”

Durkas continues to speak, even though his eyes are still turned towards Marius. Reynard notices a certain tension running through the dwarf, almost as if Marius’ gestures along Reynard’s attention were a menace to him.

[Ok, so your first impression falls down. It becomes clear that Durkas has a hidden intention, something he’s not letting out, despite his explanations and questions. You feel he is trying to fish something out with the questions, possibly your last whereabouts. Reasons unclear, though.]

MARIUS

As a hole, Maran never looked condescending with thieves. Nevertheless, the Helen’s Fortune seems to be an exception. Maybe it’s the political nature of the conversations, maybe it is the vagrant disposition of the mead halls, but something exudes malice within this place. The thieves calculate their movement and begin to search the area for suspicious patrons or watchers. It seems they are to act soon enough, but might notice Marius’ efforts to stop their actions, lest the monk be subtle in his intent. As for the remnant of the room, it becomes clearer that this is not a relaxation place for the most part. Those who choose to rest their honest pay tend to go towards the taverns down the coast, maybe even the emporium at the gates of the city. Here, it seems, is the place where big moves are pulled. This is the middle ground of business for the town, where enemies meet to discuss treaties and leaders go to meditate on their next steps. The city is, for the most part, an orderly community, quite indifferent to great causes and pleas, following no gods in particular. Odros, on the other hand, is a place of faith, where dwarves are less prone to toil and trade and more concerned with justice and divine will. And it truly shows! The odrosan men in the mead hall are heated in their intentions and large in their dispositions, acting with the passion and strength that only warriors could muster. The resentful maranan dwarves keep their silence, almost in subservience, and resort to a morose and hardened posture.

[OOC: You have it all spot-on, Neurotic! Also, you might want to go stealthy on your moves, or the thieves will notice you. Unless, of course, you want to be seen, in order to dissuade them from the theft.]

 

[Neurotic]

OOC: Marius is sitting down. If you read my original post you'll he slid into the bench. He just doesn't move while sitting. As for being prepared, he thinks he is not obvious, but that is skill vs skill, right? Same as their stealing vs his perception

 

[Neurotic]

Listening with only half attention to the curious dwarf, Marius speaks after the last question, not in answer, but a warning "I'm not sure if this is normal atmosphere here, with local and odrosan soldiers together, but something is not right. And there is group of thieves checking the patrons and preparing to move in. Take care of your valuables."

He pulls several copper pieces from his pouch and starts playing with one, rotating it on a point, flipping it through the fingers or passing it between hands. The rest lie down in line in front of him.

Ooc: warning shot preparation, regardless of the target ;-)
Ooc2: if any violence erupts, he will go for the Lady to protect her. Most probable kidnapping or mugging target, weak?, rich? female.

 

[Archon Basileus]

@Trogdor1992 @KahlessNestor [MENTION=6855130]Jago[/MENTION] [MENTION=6801450]Trogdor1992[/MENTION]

REYNARD/MARIUS

Durkas uses the question as a quick detour to his former inquiries, leaving Reynard some space and buying himself some as well.

“Err… You really wanna know?” – he looks over his shoulders, as if to avoid undesired eavesdroppers. “The guard couldn’t care less about the thefts. The captain up there receives a fat cut of every piece of action in the burg to lay quiet and pretend he sees nothing. As for the owner, he invited the thieves into the place. Sure it looks like a fortress, but it doesn’t work as one if you do not have the manpower to handle it. And since we can’t pick up arms, rogues are the second best thing. Word is that there’s plenty of ’em to go around as well. Mallet’s crew, a strong guild, numerous…” – the last words are spoken in a tone of warning as Durkas looks at the monk’s hands.

Judging he has a better hold of the conversation, he now turns once more towards Reynard. “Folks like you could find easy job around here, by the way… Mandos is always looking for competent …. Workers. Or so I’ve heard.”

MORGRYM/VA’ARAHKIR

Meanwhile, near the balcony, a group of lizards indulges in the peculiar tastes of the species, gorging themselves in blood and pieces of raw meat. The guttural accents of draconic language spread far and wide through the hall. This looks like a mercenary group, very distinct of most lizards seen around the south. Apparently, they have abandoned their primitive habits at least in part, adopting a set of weapons more adequate to humans and dwarves. Most of them are also armored, even though the pieces of gear are mostly leather and won’t protect them fully in a battle. The weary aspect of the combatants and the appetite they exercise in their meal suggests a long trip towards Maran. In fact, the beasts arrived not an hour earlier, seeking almost immediate comfort in food and drink.

Alongside them, two very dissonant figures are seated. They’ve travelled into Maran with the mercenaries, having shared a battle or two with the savage reptile barbarians. Under the invitation of Shagru, their shaman and leader, the two small figures are now feasting amidst draconian hauls and hisses. One of them seems quite familiar with the scene, being of a shorter draconian stock, but as reptilian as the others; the other one, a dwarf with savage looks and barbaric habits, rests indifferently among them, but favors the company of the one closer to him in stature.

“Eat, little Va’Arahkir! We have not emaciated these with our own heat, but they’re soft nonetheless!” – he speaks in strong, old draconian, and throws a big slice of game towards the little reptilian.

He then turns to Morgrym, a hint of jealousy and respect permeating his body and voice. “You have other tastes, Morgrym of Gozreh” – he says in rustic dwarven - “But share the drink with us…” – the happiness he directed towards Va’Arahkir turns into reserve and respect. He contemplated the power of Morgrym’s god flowing through his prayers and now he believed the dwarf as a greater shaman than he himself. He pushes a flagon into Morgrym’s direction, indifferent to his lack of composure and hygiene.

[Ok, everyone's in! This is our test area! Feel free to try out the chars before we get into the story once and for all! I hope you like it!

Also, Neurotic, if you want to hide your intentions towards the thieves, roll stealth. Otherwise, just leave it as it is. You're still gonna have a huge advantage, considering how crowded the room is!

Jago, you get to roll Sense Motive if you want. You'll also have a bonus now that Durkas left something slip out.

Kahless and Trogdor, welcome and enjoy!]

 

[KahlessNestor]

Maran/Helen’s Fortune
Evening

Morgrym considered again why he’d left his little hermitage up in the mountains. Sure, he needed to sell some of the wool from this season, but he could have sent one of the other druids into the city to do that. And that fool boy he’d set up to watch his sheep had better take care of them!

He’d gotten a decent price for the wool, so now had some coin in his pocket, though not much. He’d fallen in with some lizardfolk mercenaries on the way down. Not that he much liked their company. He didn’t really like anyone’s company. That’s why he lived at the hermitage. But there was ale and food, so he’d accepted their invitation to the Helen’s Fortune.

Morgrym slouched on a bench. An uglier dwarf would be hard to find, with an oversized nose and mismatched eyes set in craggy features. Beside him leaned his cudgel and a finely crafted battle axe, the black blade indicating it wasn’t ordinary steel. A darkwood shield leaned against the wall with them, next to his pack. The lizards’ leader Shagru, a shaman, spoke to him and pushed a tankard of ale in Morgrym’s direction. “Th-Thank’ee,” the dirty dwarf muttered into his dark green-black beard, matted with twigs, leaves, and dirt. His eyes -- two different colors, one blue and one green -- surveyed the room. He sniffed, wiping his nose on his sleeve and sipped his ale, then took a big bite from a leg of mutton on the plate before him.

Morgrym eyed the soldiers in the balcony suspiciously. They could cause trouble. Rowdy soldiers in their cups always did. He noted the elves, don’t a bad job of blending in to the clientele in the place. And then there was the woman coming down the stairs with the bodyguard. Morgrym wondered just what she was doing in a place like this.

“Wh-Wh-Where yeh off tae n-next?” Morgrym asked Shagru. He didn’t particularly care, but the reptile was paying for the food and ale, so the dwarf figured he’d put forth a modicum of effort at being social. Besides, he kind of enjoyed the sycophantic fawning.

 

[Neurotic]

@Trogdor1992 @KahlessNestor [MENTION=6855130]Jago[/MENTION] [MENTION=6801450]Trogdor1992[/MENTION]

REYNARD/MARIUS
“Err… You really wanna know?” – he looks over his shoulders, as if to avoid undesired eavesdroppers. “The guard couldn’t care less about the thefts. The captain up there receives a fat cut of every piece of action in the burg to lay quiet and pretend he sees nothing. As for the owner, he invited the thieves into the place. Sure it looks like a fortress, but it doesn’t work as one if you do not have the manpower to handle it. And since we can’t pick up arms, rogues are the second best thing. Word is that there’s plenty of ’em to go around as well. Mallet’s crew, a strong guild, numerous…” – the last words are spoken in a tone of warning as Durkas looks at the monk’s hands.

Judging he has a better hold of the conversation, he now turns once more towards Reynard. “Folks like you could find easy job around here, by the way… Mandos is always looking for competent …. Workers. Or so I’ve heard.”

"What?! I'm just playing with some coins. In the open. No danger there." too open to be credible liar, the monk tries to look innocent as toothy smile appears, but he quickly gets serious again.
"What you're saying, dwarf, is that we should condone theft here by not acting unless we want trouble from both thieves and guards."
As the first thief makes his move, Marius flicks his wrist and copper piece pings off targets leg causing it to look down straight onto a thief. Somehow, Marius still has 5 copper pieces despite his companions knowing he had five to begin with. The one that flew definitely wasn't from his cache. Except it was obvious, at least to those next to him, he pulled new coin from his bracer.

Stealth: 1D20+8 = [16]+8 = 24


Sleight of Hand to re-appear coin: 1D20+3 = [2]+3 = 5

 

[Jago]

[sblock=Sense Motive Check]1d20+3: 11 (1d20=8)
You never mentioned what the bonus would be, so feel free to add what you so please to the result of 11.[/sblock]

 

[Trogdor1992]

Va'arahkir eats, never passing up free food and says "Thank you, I was feeling a bit famished"

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